The good, the bad, and the missing of Apple TV+’s series library
The good, the bad, and the missing of Apple TV+’s series library
A closer look at what Apple TV+ nails, where it falls short, and why I won’t be losing it anytime soon.
I love streaming TV, and (for both personal and professional reasons) I have been subscribed to all the major streamers for years, and now I’m going to put that knowledge to good use by breaking down the highs and lows of every streamer’s library.
Apple TV+ is a great place to start because it takes such a different approach to content than its competitors. So, in this article, I’ve broken things down into what Apple TV+ does really well, where I think it could improve, how often new shows actually drop, and how deep the library is. This is obviously my personal take — you might feel totally differently — but if you’re curious about whether Apple TV+’s “quality over quantity” approach works (and where it falls short), here’s how I see it.
Feel free to share your thoughts about Apple TV+’s offerings in the comments below.
Everything you need to know about the Apple TV+ streaming library:
What TV genres does Apple TV+ do really well?
Let’s start with a few of the genres I think Apple TV+ does really well. The streamer is at its best when it’s making prestige dramas that feel epic, cinematic, and star-studded. Shows like “Severance” and “The Morning Show” are great examples. They’ve got big stars, high production values, and stories that keep you hooked week to week. “For All Mankind” is another one that feels like this huge world you can get lost in. It’s an alternate-history space-race drama that’s as tense as anything on TV. Apple TV+ doesn’t pump out tons of these, but the ones it does release feel like events — they’re polished, layered, and built to get people talking.
Next, I’m a sucker for a great comedy, and Apple TV+ kills it when it comes to dramedies that are actually funny. “Ted Lasso,” “Stick,” and “The Studio” are my favorites. All three are laugh-out-loud funny but still pack an emotional punch — you get really pulled into these characters and their messes. “Mythic Quest” and “Shrinking” are great too, but what Apple really nails is that balance of humor and heart. These aren’t disposable comedies. I still find myself randomly thinking about “Ted Lasso” and where all those characters ended up. That’s the true test of greatness: time.
Finally, Apple TV+ also takes some big swings with sci-fi and thrillers, and most of them hit. “Foundation” is the streamer’s giant space epic, and “Silo” (one of my favorite shows on the platform) is this super tense, dystopian mystery that totally lives up to the hype. If you’re more into spy stories or crime, “Slow Horses” is a witty, slow-burn espionage series, and “Black Bird” is a gripping true-crime story with killer performances.
Apple TV+ doesn’t have a huge pile of genre shows, but when it commits to one, it goes all in — they’re slick, smart, and feel like mini-blockbusters. Movie stars (like Vince Vaughn in “Bad Monkey”) help, but so does excellent writing and serious production value.
What TV genres could Apple TV+ do more of?
If I had my way, Apple TV+ would definitely lean harder into straight comedies, especially single-cam shows like “Stick” and “Ted Lasso.” They’ve nailed the mix of humor and heart with these dramedy-style hits, but the comedy lineup is still pretty thin. Right now, if you blow through those and maybe “The Studio” and “Platonic,” there aren’t a lot of laugh-out-loud options left. Apple TV+ clearly knows how to make great, funny, character-driven shows people connect with, so it feels like a missed opportunity not to double — or triple — down on this lane.
What Apple TV+ doesn’t do at all is traditional multi-cam sitcoms — the big laugh-track, comfort-food kind of comedies. That’s probably on purpose because Apple TV+ likes to feel premium and cinematic, and multi-cams scream old-school network TV. Still, a sharp, modern take on the format could work if they got the right creative team. Not everything has to feel like a $100 million drama, and adding even one or two lighter, more classic-style sitcoms could round out the comedy slate and keep people coming back for something easy to binge.
Another gap is in network-style procedurals — think police, legal, or medical shows with that familiar case-of-the-week format. The streamer goes all in on prestige thrillers and limited series, but it doesn’t have anything that scratches that “comfort TV” itch. A smart, well-cast procedural could still feel elevated while giving subscribers something to watch between the big, buzzy originals (which don’t happen frequently enough IMO, but more on that shortly).
As of yet, Apple TV+ hasn’t focused any attention on easy, episodic series, but that’s part of its brand — it’s all about curated, prestige stuff. Unfortunately, though, that also means you can run out of things to watch fast if you’re not in the mood for another heavy drama.
How often does new content drop on Apple TV+?
The short answer? I wish it were more often. New stuff shows up on Apple TV+ pretty regularly, but not at the pace you’re used to on other streamers. You usually get one or two new shows a month with Apple, and most of them release episodes weekly instead of dropping the whole season at once. That’s great for stretching out the buzz for a particular show, but it also means you’re sitting around waiting for the next big thing. And since Apple TV+ doesn’t license older TV shows to fill out its catalog, what you see is what you get. Apple TV+ has made it clear they’d rather feel premium and curated than load up on older stuff just to bulk up the library.
The flip side is… it can feel like there’s never quite enough to watch. Other platforms can keep you busy with older fan favorites or long-running series, but Apple doesn’t do that. Once you’ve caught up on the big originals you care about, you’re basically stuck waiting for the next show to drop.
Even though Apple’s been releasing more shows lately, its “quality over quantity” approach makes the lineup feel thin week to week. When something hits, it’s great. But if you’re not into what’s new right now, there’s not much else to dig into. But here’s the headline: what’s there is almost always worth your time.
How deep is Apple TV+ show library?
When I flip through the Apple TV+ TV show library, it feels on the smaller side, especially compared to other streamers I peruse. Almost everything on the service is a shiny original that’s debuted in the past few years, which means once you’ve burned through the big titles, there isn’t much of a backlog to explore. Apple TV+ almost never licenses older TV shows to bulk up its catalog.
The only real exceptions are things like the classic “Fraggle Rock” episodes, which Apple grabbed when it launched its own reboot in 2020, and older “Peanuts” specials (like “It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown” and “A Charlie Brown Christmas”) that sit alongside “The Snoopy Show.”
That keeps the library feeling tight and curated, but it also means you won’t stumble across a ton of hidden gems you missed from years past — though here’s one you may have missed that I loved.
Now there is real upside, and it’s that almost everything on Apple TV+ is worth your time. Because Apple is so selective, there’s very little filler, and the overall quality is consistently high. But the trade-off is obvious: when you finish a run of shows like “Severance” or “Ted Lasso,” you might hit a wall fast. There just isn’t the same deep bench of older, comfort-watch series that other platforms rely on to keep people entertained between big new releases. Apple’s approach makes it feel more like a boutique service than a massive streaming library — for better and worse. Still, it’s one of my favorite streamers for the simple reason that you know almost everything it drops will be quality.
Too long didn’t read summary
Apple TV+ is great at what it does best — prestige dramas, smart dramedies like “Ted Lasso,” “Stick,” “The Studio” and big swings in sci-fi and thrillers. But the library’s a little thin since almost everything is a newer original, and Apple TV+ doesn’t license older shows to fill things out. Once you’re caught up, you’re often stuck waiting for the next big drop, and I wish they’d lean harder into straight comedies. That said, the quality is consistently high, and I love the service. It’s one I won’t be giving up anytime soon.
Apple TV
Apple TV (formerly known as Apple TV+) is a subscription video streaming service for $14.99 per month, offering a growing slate of original series, films, documentaries, and specials. Unlike other platforms that combine licensed titles with originals, Apple TV is built entirely around exclusive programming, making it the home of critically acclaimed hits such as “Ted Lasso,” “Severance,” “The Morning Show,” and “Silo.” Its lineup continues to expand with award-winning dramas, comedies, family-friendly shows, and blockbuster original films like “CODA,” which won the Academy Award for Best Picture.